Monday, 6 October 2014

Loneliness of a Distance Runner!

The loneliness of the distance runner! This was one of my first sessions back after my end of season break.

20X400m on the track down at Stretford, Manchester. It was absolutely freezing and a tough session to slog out all alone. Tuesdays are almost always on the track for me. Thankfully now, I get to do the majority of my sessions with the wonderful Gemma Steel rather than completely on my own.

She really is amazing to train with. Such a strong athlete – setting the pace from the word go and consistent in her times, lap after lap. Training with a 10K, half marathoner is definitely having a positive affect on my fitness - it makes me focus on becoming a lot stronger over the longer distances and using my strength to produce some speed in the summer season. I don't get the chance to day-dream within the longer sessions and loose concentration because Gemma is ON IT. Every rep is important.

20x 400s is a key session for me throughout the year and we even sometimes revisit it over the summer in order to see where my endurance is at. Repeating the same session at certain points throughout the year allows you to gauge exactly where you are and compare to previous times which I find vitally important in order to learn what works and doesn't work for you as an athlete.